Africa

The African continent poses problems of stability and unresolved conflicts which occasionally threaten the very existence of some States. Extreme poverty continues to ravage significant parts of the continent. It is also the continent that is most vulnerable to the perverse consequences of climate change. Environmental factors are already causing mass population displacements and conflicts associated mainly with the shortage of water and the exploitation of resources. Three areas will be vital to Spanish interests in the coming decades: the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Guinea. (NSS 2013)